Achiman was one of the three sons of Anak, a giant who lived in Hebron. He and his brothers Sheshai and Talmai were seen by the spies that Moses sent into the land of Canaan, and seeing them caused great fear among the Israelites. Achiman and his brothers were later defeated during the conquest of the promised land – according to the book of Joshua they were driven out by Caleb, while the book of Judges attributes the victory to the tribe of Judah. Their defeat illustrates God’s faithfulness in fulfilling the promise of the land, despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
When Moses sent twelve spies into the land of Canaan, they found Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, descendants of Anak, living in Hebron. The sight of these giants frightened most of the spies.
22They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, lived. (Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
The spies' report about the descendants of Anak, including Akiman, caused the people of Israel to be filled with fear and refuse to enter the promised land. The spies said they felt like grasshoppers compared to the giants.
33We even saw the Nephilim there—the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim. In our own eyes we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.
Caleb asked to receive Hebron as his inheritance, even though the descendants of Anak, including Akiman, lived there. He trusted in the Lord's promise and declared himself willing to drive them out.
12So give me this hill country the LORD spoke of that day, for you yourself heard then that the Anakites are there, with large fortified cities. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I will drive them out, just as the LORD said."
14So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance to this day, because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.